213:
when the dogs started barking. Vithiya's bicycle was lying on the ground and one of the dogs found her shoes. Nishanthan discovered
Vithiya's body in an isolated spot by a dilapidated building. She was barely clothed, her hands were bound behind her with her school tie, her mouth was gagged with a piece of cloth and her legs were spread apart and tied to two separate trees. Her school bag was nearby. Nishanthan called the police in Kayts at around 7.00am but they failed to arrive prompting Nishanthan to contact the police in
197:
told them that he had not seen her that day. At 6.00pm
Vithiya's family went to the police checkpoint at Kurikattavan, Pungudutivu to report her missing but according to Nishanthan and local residents the police weren't interested, instead making derogatory remarks about Vithiya insinuating that she had
212:
The family returned home but as the police weren't searching for
Vithiya they, along with other villagers, started searching for her. The villagers resumed the search at 5.00am. A group including Nishanthan and the family's two dogs were searching along an isolated road about 1½km from Vithiya's home
192:
Vithiya usually went to school, which was about 2 km from her home, by bicycle along with two other girls who lived close by. However, on the morning of 13 May 2015, the two girls were ill and
Vithiya's brother Nishanthan, who would otherwise have taken her to school on his motorcycle, had gone
299:
When eight of the suspects were brought to Jaffna Courts on 20 May 2015, a tense situation arose and stones were pelted at the courts as the protesters demanded that the suspects be handed over to them. The police were forced to use tear gas to disperse the protesters. 127 protesters were arrested.
196:
School finishes at 2.00pm and normally
Vithiya would be home by 3.00pm. When she failed to return home after school her mother Saraswathy and Nishanthan went to her school where they were told that she had not been school that day. A relative of the family who runs a boutique near the school also
244:
Five youths from
Colombo were arrested in Poorikkattuvan on 17 May 2015. They had gone from Colombo to Pungudutivu on 13 May 2015 but later returned to Colombo, only to return to Pungudutivu for Vithiya's funeral. After the funeral they tried to return to Colombo but were arrested by the police.
283:
The murder prompted widespread anger and demonstrations across the country, particularly in northern Sri Lanka. School pupils in
Pungudutivu staged protests on 14 May 2015. Local residents on the island blockaded roads with logs and burning tyres. There were also protests in
240:
Three brothers, in their thirties and forties, were arrested on 15 May 2015. They had apparently been in a long running feud with
Vithiya's family. According to the police Vithiya had been abducted as she went to school on the morning of 13 May 2015.
373:
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Vithiya's funeral, which took place on 15 May 2015 at
Manakkadu Cemetery, was attended by hundreds of people including local politicians. Her family have decided to move to
311:
was observed in northern Sri Lanka on 20/21 May 2015 as a protest against the murder. Shops, businesses, private transport and even government offices were shut across the
555:
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since 1990. During this time the islands became notorious for numerous cases of rape and murder, most of which were blamed on the navy and the government backed
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153:. Vithiya and her family relocated to their native village in Pungudutivu in 2010. Vithiya was a pupil at Pungudutivu Maha Vidyalayam studying
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Several senior police officers involved in the investigation were subsequently transferred. The police investigation was taken over by the
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region. Vithiya was born on 25 November 1996 at the government hospital in
Mankulam. She attended Nallaru Vidyalayam until grade 6.
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to lodge a complaint about Vithiya's disappearance but it was not until 9.00pm that a female police officer took their complaint.
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police officer was heard blaming the protesters for the rape/murder, saying "You should make sure that your men behave".
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A ninth suspect, Mahalingam Sasikumar or Swiss Kumar, was caught by villagers in Pungudutivu. He was admitted to
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but her family, who were still in the Vanni, were caught in the brutal fighting and ended up in the Menik Farm
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V. T. Thamilmaran. Both have denied the allegations. It has been alleged that Sasikumar filmed the gang rape.
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1002:"Video Of Sinhala Police Officer Using Racially Motivated Language At An Elderly Jaffna Woman Goes Viral"
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260:, Colombo on 18 May 2015. There are allegations about the conduct of government minister
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732:"Switzerland confirms the suspect in schoolgirl Vidya's murder is not a Swiss national"
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580:
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556:"After rape and murder, fear and tension in Jaffna over covert menace to public safety"
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165:
871:"School children protest in Jaffna demanding justice for rape and murder of classmate"
315:. On 23 May 2015, Jaffna Magistrate’s Court banned protests within the city limits of
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692:"Five more suspects arrested in connection to rape and murder of a student in Jaffna"
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Marasinghe, Chandrasena; Kulasuriya, Madawa; Thambiah, Mirudhula (21 May 2015).
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where they have relatives and Vithiya's sister Nishanthini is studying at the
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922:
830:"Sri Lanka's CID to lead murder investigation of Pungudutivu school girl"
789:"Vithya's rape-murder – CJ, IGP visit Jaffna Jaffna top cops transferred"
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357:
225:
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146:
127:
30:
1097:"Protests inside Jaffna municipal council banned by Sri Lankan court"
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82:
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paramilitary group. High-profile cases included the rape/murder of
431:"Diaspora urged to document flow of narcotics into Tamil homeland"
202:
1118:"Court issues order preventing demonstrations in Jaffna district"
1038:"Protests Held In Jaffna Against Alleged Rapists Of Schoolgirl"
374:"Post-War Systemic Breakdown Blamed For Jaffna Rape and Mayhem"
193:
out. Vithiya left for school alone on her bicycle at 7.25am.
712:"5 more arrested as anger continues over school girl murder"
621:
Mururgavel, Shanmugan; Subramaniyam, Gavitha (22 May 2015).
597:"Draw necessary lessons from Vidya,s tragedy says activists"
964:"Over 120 arrested after tense situation at Jaffna protest"
650:"News Three brothers arrested for alleged rape and killing"
164:, including Pungudutivu, had been under the control of the
252:
but managed to escape to Colombo in an attempt to flee to
201:
with a lover. At 6.30 pm the family went to the police in
94:(25 November 1996 – 13 May 2015) was an 18 year old
221:. The police eventually arrived at the scene at 11.00am.
747:"Rampage in Jaffna over rape and killing of schoolgirl"
353:"Outrage in Sri Lanka over teenager's rape and murder"
851:"Demanding Justice for Vithya and other rape victims"
745:
Palihawadana, Norman; Ranwala, Madura (21 May 2015).
78:
59:
37:
21:
398:"Gang-rape prompts protests in Sri Lanka's north"
230:Faculty of Business Studies, University of Jaffna
944:"Jaffna rises against rape- 9 suspects arrested"
810:"CID takes over Pungudutivu rape investigations"
623:"Recognising factors behind the Jaffna hartal"
576:"Police accused of negligence in Vithiya case"
256:. He was however arrested at a guest house in
918:"Protestors stone Jaffna Court; 127 arrested"
8:
912:
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512:"Anger in Jaffna over murder of school girl"
1057:"Business community stages hartal in North"
982:"127 arrested over stoning of Jaffna Court"
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1077:"CID in Jaffna for full probe on protests"
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483:"Vithya's final 24 hours - Mother reveals"
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669:Christopher, Chrishanthi (31 May 2015).
554:Christopher, Chrishanthi (24 May 2015).
766:Mohan, Sulochana Ramiah (24 May 2015).
344:
1020:"Hartal brings Jaffna to a standstill"
768:"Pornography takes toll in the North"
266:Faculty of Law, University of Colombo
118:Vithiya's family were displaced from
7:
893:Pradeep, Chaturanga (20 May 2015).
481:Manju, W. K. Prasad (31 May 2015).
372:Balachandran, P. K. (22 May 2015).
849:Daluwatte, Shamila (28 May 2015).
787:Palakidnar, Ananth (23 May 2015).
595:Attygalle, Randima (1 June 2015).
14:
1116:Santiago, Melanie (23 May 2015).
1055:Madusanka, Romesh (21 May 2015).
808:Santiago, Melanie (21 May 2015).
690:Santiago, Melanie (18 May 2015).
273:Criminal Investigation Department
16:Murder of a Sri Lankan schoolgirl
145:in 2009 Vithiya was studying in
895:"Protesters stone Jaffna Court"
170:Eelam People's Democratic Party
141:During the final months of the
102:and murdered on the island of
1:
1163:People murdered in Sri Lanka
1082:The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)
1062:The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
987:The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
900:The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
856:The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
676:The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)
655:The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)
628:The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
561:The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)
176:(1999), the rape/murder of
122:in 1990 as a result of the
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219:emergency telephone number
1173:Sri Lankan murder victims
1158:2015 murders in Sri Lanka
28:
1153:Gang rape in Sri Lanka
752:The Island (Sri Lanka)
602:The Island (Sri Lanka)
379:The New Indian Express
334:Murder of Seya Sadewmi
126:and later ended up in
92:Sivaloganathan Vithiya
329:Murder of K. Tharshan
300:During the protest a
262:Vijayakala Maheswaran
294:University of Jaffna
178:Ilayathambi Tharsini
124:Sri Lankan Civil War
182:Allaipiddy massacre
98:schoolgirl who was
1006:Colombo Telegraph
313:Northern Province
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671:"Island of fear"
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386:on May 22, 2015.
382:. Archived from
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264:and dean of the
162:Jaffna peninsula
160:The islands off
151:internment camps
96:Sri Lankan Tamil
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48:25 November 1996
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734:. 29 June 2017.
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180:(2005) and the
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1105:. 23 May 2015.
1102:Tamil Guardian
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1085:. 24 May 2015.
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1044:. 20 May 2015.
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1026:. 20 May 2015.
1024:Tamil Diplomat
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1008:. 22 May 2015.
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990:. 20 May 2015.
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926:. 21 May 2015.
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879:. 15 May 2015.
876:Tamil Guardian
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838:. 21 May 2015.
835:Tamil Guardian
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720:. 17 May 2015.
717:Tamil Guardian
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658:. 17 May 2015.
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584:. 30 May 2015.
581:Tamil Guardian
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520:. 15 May 2015.
517:Tamil Guardian
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439:. 27 May 2015.
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406:. 20 May 2015.
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361:. 20 May 2015.
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166:Sri Lanka Navy
155:Advanced Level
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79:Known for
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67:(aged 18)
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106:in northern
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65:(2015-05-13)
1168:Pungudutivu
1148:2015 deaths
1143:1996 births
286:Kilinochchi
254:Switzerland
207:Velanaitivu
174:Sarathambal
120:Pungudutivu
104:Pungudutivu
73:, Sri Lanka
71:Pungudutivu
63:13 May 2015
54:, Sri Lanka
1137:Categories
1123:News First
815:News First
697:News First
403:Al Jazeera
340:References
290:Mullaitivu
258:Wellawatte
114:Background
100:gang raped
44:1996-11-25
23:S. Vithiya
302:Sinhalese
143:civil war
108:Sri Lanka
923:Daily FT
436:TamilNet
358:BBC News
323:See also
292:and the
279:Protests
226:Vavuniya
188:Incident
184:(2006).
132:Mankulam
52:Mankulam
215:Colombo
147:Colombo
134:in the
128:Mallavi
317:Jaffna
309:hartal
199:eloped
85:victim
83:Murder
203:Kayts
136:Vanni
130:near
60:Died
38:Born
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307:A
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42:(
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